Colombo, Sri Lanka -- What a fitting place to read about the growing fervor against Silicon Valley's tech companies. I am here as part of a delegation from the Association of Science and Technology Centers and the National Science Foundation to assist in the development of a national science center in this remarkable country. Sri Lanka is doing all it can to overcome the effects of a long civil war that ended in 2009.

Its leaders seem to believe the path to prosperity lies through the ability to fuel indigenous innovation through science and technology. It is full of young entrepreneurs who would love to do business with the likes of Google, Apple and Intel.

Quite the opposite view of technology has taken root in San Francisco.

Wealth disparities, fears about the erosion of privacy, and the gentrification of neighborhoods have angered people to the point where they feel justified in making personal attacks on people who work in tech.

Harassment is on the rise. Violence could be close at hand.

One of the things I believe is that if two things are true, then one of them is not false, no matter how much we would like to deny it. The simple fact is the future of the human race hinges on our ability to use technology to solve the problems before us. Without new technologies, we will not have enough water, power, health care or economic development to meet the needs of 8 billion people (a global plateau we will reach all too soon). So we must safeguard the markets and celebrate the companies that bring breathtaking innovations to the world. To do otherwise would be suicidal.

On the other hand, the seeds of our own destruction lurk in the wealth created by our useful technologies. Technology might make us powerful and rich, but it won't make us wise or brave or kind or good. Technology will not turn our hearts to the needs of others. It will not urge us to care about our neighbors. Yet, if we do not do these things, we will tear ourselves apart. It has happened many times before, and to deny that it is happening again would also be suicidal.

Surely it is time to grow up and learn how to both create and share wealth. No decent person should harass tech workers if the end result would be to deny entrepreneurs in countries like Sri Lanka the ability to profit from working with Silicon Valley's tech companies. At the same time, those who profit from the success of tech companies must see that the time is now to use their wealth to build a better community for everyone.

We had better grow up quickly. The Bolsheviks are coming, and the entire world will be poorer for it.